Pedal-actuating device



July 10, 1928. 1,676,686

H. CHRISTENSON PEDAL ACTUATING 13159103 i-iled May 10. 1927 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 10, 1928 UNIT so STATES.

A 1 ,676,686 PATENT .-=o;FF ce-;,;;

, nAnoLncHRIsTENson, on SAVANNAH, GEORGIA;

V I V'PEDAL-AGTUATING nevi-en,

Application filed May '10, 1927. seriai No. 190,224.

This invention relates to devices for operating the pedals of automobiles. and particularly the accelerator. thereof, and the general object'of the invention is :to PIOVJUG a device of th s kind which will not only support the foot in proper operative relation 'to the accelerator pedal but eliminate the necessity of holding the leg and ankle in a tense and strained position.

A further object'is to provide a device of this character which will support the foot out of direct contact with the accelerator or other pedal but which will actuate the pedal by a slight rolling movement of the ankle or sway of the knee and which will permit relaxing of the body.

A still further object is to provide means which will form a firm rest for the foot, which at the same timewill give a pe'rfect control of the accelerator pedal and throttle and which will prevent wastage of gasoline or other fuel due to the more or less constant opening and closing movement of the throttle. in turn due "to the jars and oscillations of the car.

Another objectis to provide a device of this character which is very-simple,which may be readily attached to the footboard of the ear, and which may be used not only for the accelerator pedal but for starting pedals.

' Myinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, whereinI:-

I Figure 1 is a top plan View of my pedal actuating device;

Figure 2 is asideelevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a like view to Figure 2 but showing the pedal actuating device and pedal depressed;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring to this drawing, it will be seen that mydevice comprises 'a base 10 and crossed members 11 and 12. The member 11 at its lower end is hinged to the base by the pintle 13 and the member 12 is longitudinally slotted, as at 14, or otherwise formed so as to permit the member 11 to pass throughthis slot and thereby cross the member 12. The lower end of the member 12 is hingedly connected to the base 10 by means of the pintle 15 andthe upper ends of both of the members 11 and 12 are hingedly connected to a plate 16. 'This plate 16 has mounted thereon or has formed therewith the lateral extension or lip 17 which is adapted toiengageovierthe accelerator pedal A. Preferably the upper face of the plate 1 16 is provided with acushion or pad 18 of rubber or like material v so'that the foot will not slip upon this actuating device.

It will be. seen that downward pressure or toward the right, depending entirely up- I on the rocking movement communicated thereto, and that as in. Figure 3 a rocking movement .of the foot will .cause'the depression of the left hand end of the plate 17, which will cause the depression of the. accelerator A; The device will also rock downward at its other end upon a rocking movement of the foot so that the device may be used'to depress "either an accelerator pedal or depress a starting pedal, for instance.

This device supports the foot firmly and the shocks and jars of the car will not cause the foot to continually reciprocate the accelerator pedal but the accelerator pedal will only be operated whenthe foot is rocked.

or by. a rocking movement of the knee or ankle.

ways a firm rest forthe foot, thus giving perfectmcontrol of the throttle. The foot accelerator in general-use a gasoline waster The line-of gravityrinthis device changes auto-matica-l ly so that there is .al-'

rator, which pressures vary with the move ments' of the car. My device will, therefore, save gas by not permitting any oscillations of the foot applied directly to the accelerator pedal. Furthermore, when the Wheels of a car hit holes or bumps, there is an almost instantaneous depression of the accelerator pedal which, of course, is bad for the driving gears, and this is eliminated by my device.

This device can be placed in any position desired on the floor of the car or upon the foot board of the car and can be made long enough to extend lengthwiseof the car and support the entire foot or as illustrated in the drawing. As shown, the device is disposed with its longitudinal axis at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the car and upon the inclined foot board and this I have found to be one of the most efficient ways in which the device may be mounted.'

Inasmuch as thedevice is capable of tilting equally in either directionby the turning of the ankle, the starter buttons, which are close to the floor boards may be readily reached this spring being such that the tension will merely carry the plate into contact with the accelerator pedal head without acting to depress the accelerator. -This device also permits the use of a very weak spring on the accelerator pedal, as this spring does not have to support the weight of the foot and thus a minimum of pressure will operate the accelerator. 1 1

It will be seen that .this device is very simple and I have found it thoroughly effective in actual practice. Obviously it may be made in different forms and, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the details 01 construction as defined in the appended claims. I have illustrated a spring as bearing directly against the head of the pedal, but it will, beunderstood that this positioning of the spring is merely illustrative.

I claim 1. A pedal actuating device including two crossed members hingedly supported at their lower ends, a plate constituting a foot rest and hingedly connected to the upper ends of the crossed members whereby the upper plate may be tilted into depressive engagement with a pedal but cannot be bodily depressed.

2. A pedal actuating deviceineluding two crossed members hingedly supported at their lower ends, a plate constituting a foot rest hingedly connected to the upper ends of the crossed members, said plate having a portion projecting beyond the crossed members upward .to cause the and adapted to engage the head of a pedal, and a spring urging one of said'members plate to engage said pedalb V V r 3. A pedal actuating" device of the character described including a base, crossed members hinged to the base, and a member constitutinga foot rest and hingedly connected to the upper ends of the crossed members, said foot rest member having a projecting portion adapted to engage 'over the head of a pedal.

4. A edal actuatm device includin a base, a slotted member hinged at its lower end to one end of the base, a second member hinged at one end to the other end of the base and extending up through the slot of the first named member in crossed relation thereto, a foot rest'to which the upper ends of said crossed members are hingedly connected, said foot rest having an extended portion adapted to bear against the head of a pedal, and a spring urging one of said crossed members upward. to thereby urge said extension downward against the head ofthe pedal. F

5. The combination with a pedal, of means for actuating the pedal including a foot plate extending over the pedal and hingedly supported at its end remote from the pedal, and a support for said 'footplate hingedly connected adjacent the free end of, said foot plate and extending downward at an angle thereto and hingedly connected beneath the other end of the foot plate.

6. The combination witha pedal,'of an actuating devicetherefor including a base, crossed members hinged at their lower ends to opposite ends'of the base, and a foot plate hinged to the upper ends of said members and having an extension extending over the head of the pedal. i

hereunto aifiximy In testimony whereof I si gnature.

' HAROLD CHRISTENSON. 

